The Communication Workers Union (CWU) yesterday secured a two-year pay deal for staff working at373 Crown post offices with a 3.68% pay rise, an additional lump sum of £1,000 and a one-year
extension on the guarantee of the size of the Crown Post Office network.The pay deal was achieved following a recent ballot in favour of strike action when UK PostOffice, the Royal Mail subsidiary, “refused to budge” from a pay freeze in 2010-11. The CWU claimedthat its threat of industrial action had helped to reach the deal.
Under the new agreement, more than 4,000 staff working at Crown post offices will now receive a2.25% consolidated and pensionable increase in basic pay for 2010-11 backdated to 1 April 2010 anda 1.4% consolidated and pensionable pay increase effective from 1 April 2011 with an additional£1,000 bonus.
With the backdated basic pay increase for 2010/11, and a combined lump sum of £1,000 to be paidbefore the end of April, full time employees will now receive £1,431 in their April salaries,alongside a basic pay increase of 3.68% going forward, the CWU explained.
The union stressed that the Crown office network of 373 post offices will remain intact with nofurther closures for at least 12 months and that it will be involved in any potential review of thenetwork.
The agreement with the Post Office still requires a formal approval by the CWU members who willvote during the first two weeks of April.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We’re really pleased to have secured this payrise for staff in the Post Office; it’s a piece of good news following a hard set of negotiations.”& amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; lt; /p>
“Equally important is the guarantee that no further Crown offices will be closed during the next12 months. The scale and quality of postal services is under threat from government plans to breakup and privatise Royal Mail Group along with a declining market so job security has been a majorfocus of our talks with the company,” he added.
Andy Furey, CWU assistant secretary, commented: “Our members sent a strong message to PostOffice management that double standards on pay were not acceptable. We’re delighted to have secureda two-year pay rise for these hard-working staff, but it’s a shame that it took a strike ballot toget here.”
Crown post offices represent about 3% of the overall network of UK post offices.
